


Small Town Romance

by fallenice



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Community: je_holiday, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-02
Updated: 2013-01-02
Packaged: 2017-11-23 09:36:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/620690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallenice/pseuds/fallenice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakurai Sho inherits a Soba Restaurant and finds himself developing a crush on a certain Ohno Satoshi.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Small Town Romance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tangiblewhimsy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangiblewhimsy/gifts).



  
Sakurai Sho, in his double parka, stands outside a two-storey building that says Arashi Soba House, while his beloved backpack threatens to slide off his sloppy shoulders. Beside him lie two huge suitcases, filled to the brim with his personal belongings from Tokyo. Sho takes a moment to examine the exterior of the place, noting the wooden structure and worrying about potential fire hazards on top of how he will cope at the new place. Taking in a huge breath, he promises himself that he will work his hardest to make sure that his deceased uncle will not regret passing the shop to him. He then drags his luggage noisily towards the door.

The shutters slide open loudly.

“Hello? I am Sakurai…” He begins into the darkness.

“Sorry, we are not open for business right now,” A bright, slightly husky voice replies. The owner of the voice emerges from the stairs soon after.

“No, no, I am Sakurai Sho and I am supposed to be …”

“No, no, no,” The other man interrupts his explanation and pushes him in the direction of the door, “We only open at noon!”

“You are mistaken,” Sho tries to explain, flailing his arms desperately to prevent the other from pushing him outside while one of the straps of his backpack falls off his shoulder.

“Idiot,” A new voice starts from behind them, “He’s our new boss.”

Sho turns around to find that the man-who-is-trying-to-show-him-the-door is being hit on his head with a spatula by another man – presumably the owner of the new voice. The victim rubs his head in mock pain (to which the other man rolls his eyes and asks him to stop pretending) as he whines, “He didn’t say!”

“He did, you weren’t listening. He said he is Sakurai. Has it not occurred to you that our new boss’s name is Sakurai?”

“He said that?”

“Yes,” Sho interrupts, sheepishly, “Multiple times.”

“Sorry, sorry!” He says, “ I’m Aiba Masaki! Nice to meet you!”

It is then that Sho hears sniggers from the corner of the room. The not-Aiba man hits the lights to reveal two smaller figures huddled together at one of the longer seats. One of them is trying to hide his laughter behind his palm while the other one stares blankly in Sho’s direction like he has just woken up from a nap.

“Welcome?” The sleepy man mumbles. _That’s Oh-chan_ Aiba supplies helpfully. _And Nino!_

Sho nods, trying to match the faces to the names.

“The _mean_ one’s Jun!”

“I’m only mean because you are an idiot.”

“Where do I put my things,” Sho asks instead, eying his suitcases, which are standing at the doorstep.

The other four follow his gaze to his luggage when Nino comments, “Do you really need that much luggage?”

“We must be prepared for all emergencies!” Sho begins, a little too enthusiastically, listing down all sorts of scenarios. As he blabbers on, Jun and Nino head to the kitchen while Aiba returns upstairs to prepare for the day.

Only Ohno nods lightly at the end of his mini speech.

Sho decides that he likes him the best.

 

 

***

 

 

“Don't you dare touch the soba,” Jun barks at his new boss as he puts the cooked tempura on the plates. Sho raises his hand in surrender, forgetting that he has been holding a handful of noodles. The uncooked noodles fall onto the floor with a thud.

“Get out of my kitchen.”

Sho decides not to (he is the boss after all!) and moves instead to where Nino is cutting vegetables. Thinking that he can possibly help there, he grabs a carrot and attempts to cut it.

He ends up with a bleeding thumb.

“You are useless in the kitchen,” Nino informs him, “Get out.”

 

 

***

 

 

Sho decides that Jun and Nino are mean people - he was only trying to help - and hopes that Aiba on the second floor will be more accommodating. Surely Aiba can’t be as cruel as Jun and Nino.

He ends up spilling a whole tray of soba over the stairs.

“Sorry, Sho-chan,” Aiba says (since when is he Sho-chan, Sho wonders offhandedly), “But maybe you can help Oh-chan downstairs instead?”

 

 

***

 

 

Sho’s next attempt at trying to be useful involves positioning himself at the main entrance to welcome the customers. He seems to be doing a decent job with it until a housewife walks in asking for her “usual seat” and demands to be served by “cute Oh-chan”. Sho looks around helplessly in Ohno’s direction as the housewife kicks a fuss about being served by an ugly waiter with a huge forehead. Ohno, upon spotting Sho’s distress, walks over to the unhappy customer, places his hand on Sho’s shoulder and shows her the “usual seat”.

Sulking, Sho resolves to sit in a little corner of the room and watch as Aiba screams the orders from the second floor to the kitchen and Ohno reads out, endearingly, the orders that he has drawn on his notepad. Everyone has his own role to play and Sho can’t help but feel that he is not needed here either. A wave of sadness crashes against him and Sho lets the chatter of the restaurant drown out his feeling of uselessness.

“Do you want to man the register?” Ohno’s voice cuts through his thoughts. Sho jumps and clutches at his shirt in shock. He has been so absorbed in himself that he has not noticed Ohno’s approach.

“I’m bad with money,” the other man mumbles to himself as he walks away from Sho and towards customers who are waiting to place their orders. Sho wonders if it is strange that he wants to take a second glance at the man.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho is idling around after the lunch rush hour when he spots the accounts book lying on the kitchen table and reaches for it. _He is an economics major, he can do the accounts,_ he thinks to himself excitedly.

However, the moment his hand touches the cover of the book, another hand beats it away with an audible slap.

“Accounts are my duty!” Nino says defensively, hugging the account book to his chest, “I _love_ money.”

Sho finds himself pouting,” I just want to do something!”

“Then find yourself something to do,” Nino retorts, hands still holding the book tightly, “This is my responsibility.”

It is then that he hears Aiba’s voice bursting from the second floor, “Bye bye, Oh-chan! Have fun!”

“Where is he going?” Sho asks as the shutter slides shut.

“Doing _something_ , “ Nino says, pointedly referring to the previous conversation as he opens the shop’s finances and puts the cash bag beside it. Sho tries to peek at the accounts – he has the right, he thinks to himself, the shop is _his_ \- when Nino shuts the book roughly and glares at him.

“ _My_ responsibility,” Nino repeats himself.

 

 

***

 

 

They try to solve the problem of Sho’s accommodation over their dinner of soba.

“Matsujun makes all the soba here! The customers love it!” Aiba tells him, mouth full and possibly spitting out food as he speaks, earning him a smack on his shoulder by from the chef himself.

Sho finds himself smiling at their antics when he is reminded of something more urgent.

“Em, where do I stay?”

“Not with me,” Jun says as he takes a spoonful of soup, “I like to have personal time when I’m at home.”

“And I like to play my games in peace,” Nino adds quickly.

“Stop pretending that you guys aren’t staying together,” Aiba cuts in, this time without food in his mouth.

“Stop pretending your girlfriend isn’t basically living in your house,” Nino argues back.

“Wait…what?” Sho’s brain struggles to take in all the new information – like Jun and Nino? Jun _and_ Nino? Aiba? Girlfriend?

It is then that he hears Ohno making a confused sound while swallowing his food.

“Say ‘Sho can stay in my house’,” Nino instructs opportunistically.

“Sho can stay in my house,” Ohno repeats dutifully, entirely unaware of what has been transpiring at the dinner table. Sho fights the urge to wipe the bit of meat that is lingering at the corner of Ohno’s lips – they just met, for goodness sake – and focuses on the fact that he now has a place to live.

Then Ohno smiles in his direction.

His thought process short-circuits.

 

 

 ***

 

 

Ohno’s house has a lot of white and very few things. In the middle of the living room lies a bright purple sofa and Sho finds his gaze drawn to it as he considers how out of place it is. Ohno seems not to notice his interest though, as he guides him to his room. Sho drags his luggage down the corridor nosily, and Ohno opens the door to one of the two rooms at the end of it. He turns, intending to thank Ohno for his hospitality when he finds that the older man has disappeared into his room.

There is something strange about Ohno, Sho concludes. It’s not a bad type of strange, though. It’s just that Ohno does not seem to behave the way Sho thinks people should. He has been expecting Ohno to show him around the house, answer his queries about where the nearest convenience store, pharmacy, bus stop, bakery etc are or, at the very least, engage in some sort of small talk. They are going to live together, right? Surely it will be beneficial to find out more about each other.

At the same time, it is strange how Sho is not offended by how little Ohno speaks or how he seem to look like he is never listening to what anyone has to say. In fact, Sho thinks that he kind of likes Ohno – not in the _I want to have sex with you_ way, he finds it important to add. He just gets a nice feeling when he is around the other man.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho tries to make breakfast the next morning.

The kitchen almost burns down.

“In my defence,” Sho tries to explain to his co-workers over lunch, “It was the pot’s fault for exploding!”

 

 

***

 

 

It is only about a week later that Sho gathers the courage to ask someone about Ohno’s little trips during the afternoon non-peak hours.

“Why do you want to know?” Jun asks him instead as he cuts the soba with practiced ease.

Sho does not reply and Jun continues, eyes focused on the soba dough, “You can go with him, he doesn’t mind.”

“Don’t you need help in preparing for dinner?” Sho asks, trying to pretend that he really isn’t that interested and that the question hasn’t bugged him for the past week. Jun looks at him skeptically and Sho finds himself being crushed by Jun’s glance.

“I don’t want my kitchen to burn down,” Jun tells him.

It’s like Jun _knows_ and is giving him a way out.

 

 

***

 

 

“Can I come along with you?” Sho asks.

Ohno doesn’t reply but doesn’t reject him either so Sho tags along, trailing behind Ohno, as the other walks away from the residential area. He sits cross legged by the riverside and busies himself with setting up – laying the canvas on a flat part of the ground, taking out a whole bunch of paint brushes and putting the cup for used brushes a distance away from the canvas. The smaller man then straightens up a little and looks out at the scenery ahead of him. Sho follows his gaze and finds himself having an introspective moment wondering what Ohno sees when he looks at the landscape ahead of him. Then Ohno looks away, mixing paint into his palette and dipping a paintbrush into it.

Blue.

Sho watches as the dripping paint lands on the pure white canvas, slowly dying the paper light blue. Then Ohno dips his paint brush into another colour, this time a darker shade and, drips it carefully onto the light blue, creating subtle movements in the water. Sho has never seen water that way; to him, water is just _water_ – a molecule of oxygen combined with two molecules of hydrogen, a nonliving thing. Under Ohno’s paint strokes, however, water looks like it is _alive_ and has a story to tell.

It’s therapeutic, Sho realizes, watching the way Ohno’s paintbrush swirls around the paper, the way the tips of the brushes fan out into a beautiful semi-circle, revealing the individual strands of hair that make up the brush. He repeats the motion a few more times before grabbing another brush from the ground. After putting the earlier brush into the cup, he dips the new one into orange.

Ohno only paints the land last and Sho thinks to himself candidly about how it is a reflection of the artist himself since Ohno’s head seems to be everywhere but on the ground most of the time. Sho, an extremely practical person himself, finds himself wondering how it would be like to live in the clouds like Ohno does.

 

 

***

 

 

“What is Sho’s favourite colour,” Ohno asks suddenly on their way back to the Soba House.

“Red,” Sho replies easily. Bright, passionate red.

Ohno stops in his tracks and turns around, causing Sho to nearly crash into his back.

“I think it suits you,” Ohno says, “I can never be red.”

But I can never be blue either, Sho wants to say. Calming, soothing blue. Sho is always agitated. He always wants to do something, to feel something, to give his all in everything and to go on the fast lane. He doesn’t know how to slow down or how to keep his cool, like Ohno does.

Sho thinks Ohno is a perfect shade of blue.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho follows Ohno out of the Soba House the next day as well. An hour into watching Ohno, his legs complain about sitting for too long so he decides to walk down the river shore while Ohno continues to draw. It is a really small river, the kind where you can see one end of it from the other effortlessly and the sort that all small towns have, but no one really pays much attention to. Sho himself has seen the seaside town of Venice and this river isn't even anywhere near that kind of grandeur. In fact, it doesn't even rank high in the list of beautiful rivers within Japan itself, but Ohno’s drawings always make it look like it is paradise on earth and a sight that one must see before they die. Sho silently wishes that he had Ohno’s ability to see the beauty in the smallest things and translate it into something tangible.

When Sho reaches the end of the river, he turns back to see Ohno’s small figure at the other end, huddled in front of his painting. _He probably isn’t even aware that I am gone,_ Sho thinks, finding himself smiling at the thought. He puts his hands into his pockets as he observes the people passing by, mostly housewives with their groceries and occasionally high school students with their school bags, crossing the river to the residential areas. While he watches the passers-by, Sho finds that he never really loses sight of Ohno even if his line of vision is not directly focused on him. His figure may be small, Sho thinks to himself, but his aura sure isn't.

 

 

***

 

 

That evening, Sho is unpacking his luggage when he finds that his wires are all tangled together in a huge mess. He sits in the living room, on the bright purple sofa, and tries to undo the knots but it doesn’t seem to give.

“I don't want to do this anymore!” he says, throwing the bunch of wires onto the sofa and raising his hands in the air in frustration before stomping back into this room.

When Sho, having unpacked other things, returns to “re-conquer” the wires, he finds that all the wires are untangled and sitting unassumingly on the sofa.

 

 

***

 

 

Jun gets Sho and Ohno to run some errands together one afternoon.

“I want to go there,” Ohno says on their way back to the Soba House, pressing the pad of his index finger on the window in the direction of the Art Supplies Shop. They are running a little late according to his wrist watch, but Sho realizes that he can’t seem to be able to say no when Ohno looks at him like _that_.

He stops the van in front of the shop and Sho watches as Ohno wanders down the aisles of the arts supplies shop like a man with a purpose. He seems to know exactly where everything is, grabbing the things he wants with his hands to the point where supplies are spilling over from his arms as he walks. He squats down to pick them back up when Sho offers to help.

“Thank you.”

Sho mirrors the smile that he sees on Ohno’s face while the other’s stare remains on him for a while - the expression on his face unreadable. Sho finds himself turning away, uttering something about finding a basket to put all the things in.

At the paint section, Sho is sure that Ohno’s eyes are sparkling at the wide selection of colours that are available. Sho doesn’t really see how paint colours can be so interesting, but when he looks at the wonder that is reflected in Ohno’s eyes, it makes him want to indulge Ohno in whatever he wants to do.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho likes where the position of the register is. He likes that it is near enough to the entrance that when he is not busy, he can actually turn his attention to a view of the whole first floor dining area and see Ohno busying around, taking orders and clearing plates. Sho finds that time passes quickly when he observes the way the weight shifts on Ohno’s feet as he walks as well as the leisurely steps he takes. He sometimes laughs to himself when Ohno knocks into someone by accident because he has been staring at his notepad instead of in front of him.

And apparently he is not the only one who likes watching Ohno.

A group of high school girls who are currently having lunch is openly fawning at Ohno. Sho cannot really hear what they are saying from where he is, but the way they lean forward in interest and blink at Ohno is a good enough indication. Ohno seems to smile at them like he doesn’t know what is going on and Sho feels an urge to drag Ohno away from those vixens when he hears someone sniggering from behind him.

Sho literally jumps at the sound.

“How long have you been here?” Sho glares at the figure standing behind him.

“Long enough to see you ogling Oh-chan and getting jealous,” Nino smirks.

“I am… not…” Sho tries to say but his explanation is cut off by Jun’s angry voice coming from the kitchen.

“NINOMIYA, WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE BATTER? “

 

 

***

 

 

Sho brings a book (something about the economics of developing countries) the next time he tags along with Ohno to the riverside. He likes watching Ohno for sure, but everytime he gets home and realizes that he has wasted three hours of his life doing _nothing_ , he feels awfully guilty.

Ohno doesn’t say anything, doesn’t seem to notice that Sho has brought a book along. Sho reads as Ohno paints, letting himself be surrounded by the calming blue that is Ohno’s presence.

When Sho tears his gaze from his book, he finds that Ohno has fallen asleep beside his drawing. Sho’s first instinct is to wake Ohno up, but when his hand touches Ohno’s shoulder, wanting to shake him out of dreamland, he spots Ohno’s peaceful sleeping face and instantly feels guilty about even wanting to wake him. When he leans in closer, Sho notices that there are a few strokes of red paint on his cheek, possibly from accidental contacts with the paintbrushes after he has dozed off. The red lines draw Sho’s attention to the puff of Ohno’s cheeks and it makes him look like a child who hasn’t really lost all his baby fat. As Sho continues to examine the features of Ohno’s face, he realizes that that he can actually count the eyelashes that frame his co-worker’s eyes. He pauses to admire the beauty of it all before moving his gaze to Ohno’s lips, which Sho thinks rest in such a way that make him look like he is pouting although he is actually sleeping.

When he finally wills himself to tear his eyes away from Ohno’s sleeping face, Sho finds himself wetting a cloth to remove the paint stains from the napping man’s cheeks.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho really does not want to wake Ohno from his slumber, but Aiba has been screaming on the phone about how there are a lot of customers in the Soba House and they need extra hands. Halfway through Aiba’s monologue, Jun has threatened he wouldn’t cook them dinner if they didn’t return within 30 minutes.

Dinner is very important to Sho.

“Huh,” Ohno mumbles, voice still filled with sleep.

Sho’s heart may have just fluttered.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho miraculously manages to cook scrambled eggs for breakfast without blowing up the kitchen. His housemate emerges from his room and Sho takes the chance to invite him to try the food. Ohno sits down at the dinner table and attempts to eat when Sho realizes that his hands are stained blue with paint.

“Wait, wash your hands first,” Sho demands and Ohno looks at him cluelessly. On one hand, Sho wants to frame that look and put it in his room so that he can stare at it all the time. On the other, he wants to strangle Ohno for being so unaware all the time – some day he is going to get food poisoning and end up in the hospital. It is not just dirty hands, what if he turns on the stove and forgets to turn it off? He might actually die from carbon monoxide poisoning or an explosion.

“Your hands,” Sho says, not hiding his exasperation.

Ohno cocks his head a little and then stares down at his paint stained hands. Sho thinks that he can hear the gears in Ohno’s head clicking into place as he lets out a slight _oh_ (Sho can’t help but notice how Ohno’s lips form the cutest circle that he has ever seen) before heading towards the sink. He then ambles back, like an old man approaching the dinner table, and eats.

“It’s delicious,” Ohno tells him, food still in his mouth.

Sho, empowered by Ohno’s seal of approval, decides to try his own creation.

“IT’S SWEET,” he says, spitting the food out, realizing with a start that he has probably mixed up salt and sugar again. Ohno simply continues munching on the breakfast.

“Ohno, your taste buds are weird,” Sho comments after gulping two huge cups of water.

“It’s nice,” Ohno says in a mumble.

“You don’t have to lie, you know,” Sho tells him, “I know it doesn’t taste good.”

Ohno looks back at him, like he doesn’t really understand what Sho is saying, “I like Sho-kun’s cooking.”

“You are ridiculous,” Sho tells him, but his heart feels like it is been wrapped in a warm blanket.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho spots Ohno eating alone at the main dining area one day. He proceeds to approach him and starts to rant because no one else seems to want to listen to his concerns about how the stairs creak way too loudly every time anyone steps on them. He has been trying in vain to tell everyone to buy insurance for the building because, what if there is a fire? No one else also seems to bother with the fact that Jun and Nino make out in the kitchen – “People eat here, you know! What if customers walk in?”

Ohno makes noises that can easily be considered as appreciation to the food in front of him, as well as him agreeing with Sho. Sho chooses to interpret it as the second. Sho is about to launch into another laundry list of complaints when Aiba pops by the table and asks brightly, “What is Sho-chan telling Oh-chan about?”

Before Sho can explain himself, another voice - Nino’s - cuts in, “Aiba, stop disturbing couples!”

Aiba looks at Sho, then at Ohno and then back at Sho before making a noise of understanding, “Sorry! I will leave you guys alone to, em, sort things out.”

He pulls his chair back to leave but not before turning towards Sho and winking at him, “Good luck!”

“It's… not…what…” AIba has disappeared before Sho can fully utter his defences.

Ohno continues stuffing his mouth with Jun’s soba.

 

 

***

 

 

“Do you want to draw?” Ohno asks him, “With me?”

Sho has been following Ohno around in his daily escapades when Ohno decides to present him with this proposal. He nearly drops his book in shock as he replies affirmatively and comments on how it will be a pleasure to be able to draw with Ohno, before even considering his level of artistic talent. Ohno grins excitedly as he digs through his supplies to grab paper and some paint for Sho.

Only when he looks at the blank canvas in front of him does he realize that he is doomed.

 

 

***

 

 

“Let’s put this up as well!” Aiba suggests cheerfully when he sees Sho’s final product – a canvas full of childlike scrawls that look nothing like the riverside scenery that inspires Ohno’s art.

“We can put it in between Ohno’s beautiful scenery paintings at the entrance so that it stands out!” Nino adds enthusiastically, “And if anybody asks, we can ask Sho to draw on the spot for a fee!”

“NOOOOO,” Sho flails his arms in a desperate attempt to snatch his “drawing” away from the other two. Jun appears in the main dining area with a frame and the duo hands the picture over to him quickly. The chef proceeds to hang the picture at the most conspicuous place in the dining area as Sho tries desperately to stop Jun while being forcefully detained in Aiba and Nino’s death grip.

“Take it down, please,” Sho begs.

“No,” the other three chorus, “Never.”

Ohno is asleep on the long seats throughout the whole drama.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho turns his attention to Ohno when he realizes that the other is just standing there and a patron (he seems new, since Sho has no recollection of seeing him before) seems to be gesturing angrily at Ohno with his chopsticks. Ohno appears to be frozen on the spot, unable to move or respond, and Sho decides that it might be wise to check and see what is happening.

“This soba is crap!” Sho hears as he nears the table, “And they say it’s the best in the area. All I taste is wheat flour!”

Soba _is_ made of wheat flour, Sho thinks to himself.

“I am sorry that the food does not suit your taste,” Sho cuts in, “As a form of apology, this meal is complimentary for you. Again, on behalf of the staff, I apologize for any displeasure you have experienced.”

“At least you have good service here,” The man says, less agitated but still visually displeased. He stands up and throws the chopsticks on the table before stomping out of Arashi Soba House.

“SCARY,” Sho says, hands covering his face when the shutters close once more, “It was so scary.”

“Sho-kun is so good with words,” Ohno comments, awe in his voice, “I can’t do that.”

Sho finds himself blushing – why is he even blushing – “I can only do it because you are around.”

Shoots. What on earth is he saying? Can the ground swallow him up now?

But Ohno is smiling at him, so he must have said something right.

“Excuse me!” The entry of a new customer interrupts his train of thoughts and Sho backs away to help seat the customer. He ends up backing into Nino though and the smaller man looks at him with a look that he doesn’t remember ever seeing on his face.

“Don't tell Jun-kun about the customer just now,” Nino says, voice serious, “He doesn’t need to know.”

 

 

***

 

 

Sho and washing machines are not good friends. When he takes out one of his favourite T-shirts from the machine, he finds it shrunk to kids’ size and thus doomed for the trash. He whines loudly as Ohno appears behind him, his own laundry in hand.

“Look at this,” Sho grumbles, “I really liked this shirt!”

Ohno, for some strange reason that Sho cannot comprehend, starts laughing really loudly and possibly a little too much at Sho’s pain. Sho huffs and bats at him to stop doing that but that only manages to further fuel Ohno’s laughter. Vaguely, Sho thinks that he is supposed to feel a lot more offended than he actually is and he really shouldn’t be laughing along with Ohno.

He concludes to himself that there is just something extremely infectious about Ohno’s laughter that draws everyone in and it’s inevitable that he laughs along.

 

 

 ***

 

 

Sho tags along with Ohno one day after lunch hour, expecting to watch him draw again. Strangely, Ohno leads him home and heads straight to his room. Sho follows closely behind, curious about how Ohno’s room looks like. Although the door to Ohno’s room is usually not shut, Sho finds it awkward to enter. He has been worried about what Ohno will think of him if he enters without a reason – _what if he thinks I’m too friendly, what if he doesn’t like people looking inside his room, what if he gets offended that I didn’t ask permission…_

Similar concerns still plague him, thus he can’t find the courage to step into Ohno’s room.

He finds himself standing outside the room, noticing the blue curtains that are floating a little from the light breeze entering through the windows. He sees Ohno’s bed, white bedsheets with light blue quilts, which look rarely slept on. Sho smiles to himself, reminded of the times he has found Ohno asleep on the sofa in the living room or at the dinner table in the kitchen.

“Why are you standing outside?” Ohno asks, head popping out from behind the door. Sho jumps at the sound – he has been too busy with his thoughts (again) to notice Ohno’s presence.

“Can I?” Sho asks

“It’s okay,” Ohno tells him.

He enters the room properly, looking around like a child in Disneyland. He finds blank canvases and finished paintings at one corner of the room along with a whole shelf of colours. Through the natural light supplied by the open window, Sho notices paint stains of various colours on the floor and walls, evidence of him working around the corner. Sho realizes that he can easily imagine Ohno’s figure cuddled up in front of his painting, back facing the window with blue curtains as he draws. Taking a better look at the room, Sho notices how the area stands out against the walls of white and how attention grabbing it is. It’s so Ohno, Sho thinks. He seems so disinterested and unbothered by so many things, but when you look in the right place you get to see the passion that is within him, presented in full colours that leave you in awe of his world.

“Do you like fishing?” Ohno suddenly asks and when Sho turns around to face him, he finds a whole row of fishing rods lined up prettily at another corner of the room.

“No,” Sho says, partly amazed at the number of fishing rods that Ohno has and partly still trying to deconstruct the person that is Ohno Satoshi in his head, “Can you teach me?”

Ohno’s face brightens like a child with a candy as he grabs extra supplies from his shelves for Sho.

“You can use this rod,” Ohno tells him, the most energetic he has been all day. “And these baits are good.”

Sho feels like laughing at how much of a child Ohno is – excitement shown all over his face when he likes something and boredom crawling on his face when he is not interested. Sho thinks that he will never be able to behave like Ohno and the realization of just how different they are makes Ohno even more intriguing for Sho.

 

 

***

 

 

When they reach their location, a different river than the one Ohno usually draws at, Ohno proceeds to enthusiastically teach Sho how to hold the rod and demonstrate how to reel the line in when he catches a fish. He corrects Sho when his hands are bent in a wrong direction and even leans in towards him to help him get the correct angles. He shuffles between his own line and Sho’s, making sure that everything is in the right place, and Sho finds himself mesmerized by how fast and precise Ohno’s movements are, worlds apart from the lazy movements that Sho usually sees in the restaurant or the deeply concentrated brush strokes when he paints.

Ohno then goes on and on about the various types of fish and what sort of lures are useful for which. Sho, despite being a college graduate, gets lost in the rapid speed in which Ohno is giving out information and has to ask for clarification several times during the course of Ohno’s lecture.

While waiting for a fish to take the bait, Ohno offers Sho fish cakes in case he is hungry. Sho takes them happily (he is not one to reject offers of food) and listens as Ohno tells him about his fishing adventures as well as the fishes that he has caught before.

“The biggest fish I have caught,” Ohno says, trying to gesture with his hand still on the fishing rod,” Was _this_ big!”

Sho smiles as Ohno goes on to explain how rare it is to be able to catch such a huge fish in rivers such as this and how if there is a chance, he will catch one for Sho too.

“We’ll catch one together,” Sho finds himself saying.

  

 

***

 

 

Sho and Ohno are walking back home together one day after work when Sho notices that a puppy has been strolling beside him. He tries to ignore the puppy – if he doesn’t bother the puppy, it will probably not bother him, he reasons to himself. So he walks down the pavement, trying to pretend that he is not disturbed by the animal while staring at it from the corner of his eye worriedly every few seconds. Ohno trails along beside him, absorbed in his own thoughts and almost crossing the road at the red light if not for Sho’s hand grabbing his arm to pull him back.

“Watch out!” Sho says, worry clear in his voice.

“Sorry,” Ohno murmurs and looks down, spotting the little puppy hovering beside Sho. He makes eye contact with it and the cute animal prances happily towards Ohno, wagging its tail excitedly. He bends down, reaches out for the puppy and tickles it under its jaw. The puppy barks happily and leans into Ohno’s touch, licking his hand with its tongue as it does so. Ohno smiles affectionately at the puppy and Sho finds himself watching everything, attempting to crush the thought about how nice it would be if Ohno smiled that way at him.

Sho grabs Ohno’s hand to pull him across the road when the light turns green. When they reach the other side of the road, they discover that the puppy has not crossed the road with them. From its side of the road, the puppy barks at the duo as if saying good bye, although the sound is muffled by cars that are speeding on the road. Ohno waves back at the puppy while Sho realizes with a start that their hands are still in contact. He promptly turns red and removes his hand hastily from Ohno’s.

It’s an accident that their fingers are intertwined, Sho tells himself.

  

 

***

 

 

“Let’s have some drinks tonight!” Aiba suggests one day.

“I want to catch up with the news,” Sho shakes his head and declines the offer. Aiba blinks at his rejection and Sho swears that he can see Aiba’s shoulders slouch in disappointment and eyes misty with tears.

“Becky is away on a trip with her family, Matsujun and Nino are going home to have sex, Oh-chan’s gone fishing and now Sho-chan is abandoning me too?” His voice turns into a pitiful whine.

Sho flushes at the thought of his coworkers making out and tries to will the image away as he gives in, “Okay, okay, where do you want to go?”

Aiba beams like he knew all along that Sho wouldn’t reject him.

 

 

***

 

 

They end up having drinks on the Soba House’s rooftop. There should be stars for them to look at, but the day is cloudy and the stars are not bright enough to shine through the clouds.

“Aibaa’s so lucky, I wannnna date someone like Becky,” Sho tells him after six cans of beer.

“Sho-chan is so greeeeedy,” Aiba tells him in a sing-along voice as he lies down on the floor, hands spread out, “Sho-chan has Oh-chan and he still wants more.”

“Sho-chan doesn't have Oh-chan.”

“Of course you do, Oh-chan totally likes you!”

“He doesn’t!”

“He does! He does! And I know you like him.”

“I don’t…” Sho says. “He just looks really cute when he wakes up in the morning? And when he is concentrating on his drawing. Have you seen him when he gets all excited about fishing…”

“Totally in love,” Aiba confirms drunkenly.

 

 

***

 

 

They somehow manage to go back to their own homes despite their inability to walk in a straight line and having stumbled rather than walked down the steps to the first floor. Unsurprisingly, Sho wakes up the next morning with the deadliest headache and the grouchiest mood. He enters the kitchen after popping some aspirin to find that Ohno, dressed in a white paint-stained T-shirt, is eating fried rice by himself at the dinner table.

Sho, for reasons that his brain cannot process at the moment, sits down beside him. Ohno stops eating and stares at Sho, making him feel all sorts of weird under his intense gaze and an urge to squirm away. Before he does move away though, Ohno pushes his bowl of fried rice in Sho’s direction. The younger man stares at the rice and then at Ohno who nods at him as he offers his spoon.

“It’s really delicious,” Sho exclaims as he chews on the rice, his bad mood instantly clearing up, “Did you make it?”

Ohno nods, a little embarrassed, and before Sho can process what is going on, he finds himself leaning over and wrapping his arms around Ohno’s shoulders. They stay like that for a short while until Sho realizes what he has done. He withdraws his hands quickly and leaves the table to wash his face.

The hug is an act of gratitude, _gratitude_ , Sho tells himself.

 

 

***

 

 

Aiba leaves the Soba House early for his anniversary date with Becky, and Sho, despite his lack of talent in cleaning up, gets roped into cleaning the place. Holding the broom awkwardly, he tries to get the rubbish towards the door when he knocks into Ohno, who is sweeping the floor with his head low and seemingly paying more attention to the dust balls than what is in front of him. The both of them topple over each other with Sho making a strangled noise as he falls over.

Sho ends up on top of his co-worker, with one hand on each of Ohno’s sides as he tries to hold on to something for balance. He finds himself aware of how their bodies are in complete contact with each other and how Ohno’s body is radiating welcoming heat. Each warm exhale of Ohno’s breath at the juncture between his neck and shoulders sends chills down his spine in a way that Sho doesn’t think is normal. Snapping himself out of the reverie, he stands up immediately, apologizing profusely for not looking as he sweeps the dust from his top and refuses to look in Ohno’s general direction.

He hears Jun and Nino sniggering among themselves from the kitchen. 

 

 

***

 

 

That night, Sho finds himself unable to sleep, thinking about how _nice_ Ohno’s body felt against his and how, if he really wants to be honest with himself, he was slightly aroused by that contact earlier. The sane part of his brain tries to tell him that it is unbecoming to think of his co-worker and housemate like that while that treacherous part keeps trying to remind him of the way Ohno’s heat pulsed through his body and the potential other things that they could do together. The tug of war that is happening within his brain causes him to twist and turn in his bed until he decides that it may actually be better to wake up, wash up and read.

He finds Ohno asleep on the sofa, an artbook covering his face. Smiling to himself, Sho goes into his room to grab the red blanket that he has brought along for emergencies (he congratulates himself in his mind for having thought to bring extra blankets from Tokyo) and pulls it over Ohno after removing the book from his face. The other man doesn’t move, only slightly snoring as Sho’s fingers rest on his face. Sho wonders whether Ohno dreams, and if he does, what sort of dreams he has. Are they as colourful as his drawings? Do they have a plot? Are they as out of the world as his thoughts are? When he finally returns from the sojourn of his mind, he realizes that he has subconsciously sat down besides Ohno on the floor. He lets his head lean against Ohno’s chest, listening to Ohno’s heart beat – strong and constant – as he lets his eyes shut.

The next morning, he is glad that he has woken up earlier than Ohno – Sho does not know how he would explain why his head was on Ohno’s chest and his hands on his torso if the other man had woken up earlier than him.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho finds the most adorable frown on Ohno’s forehead one evening, just before dinner, when he sits by one of the empty tables, reading something that looks like a government letter. He slides into the seat beside Ohno, leaning over to look at the contents.

“Oh, it’s a tax form you have to fill out,” Sho comments, “Do you need help?”

“I don't understand anything,” Ohno admits. Sho’s lips curve into a smile and he grabs a pen from his pocket to teach Ohno, step by step, how to fill out the forms, starting from where to write his name. As he speaks, he finds himself narrowing the distance between them, so that their thighs are touching each other by the end of the session.

“I should stay with Sho forever,” Ohno tells him and Sho’s face flushes a bright red as he looks away, unsure of how to respond or how to stop his heart from beating wildly.

Aiba whistles loudly from the second floor as he descends from the stairs.

“Shut up,” Sho tells him.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho has a small problem. The shirt that Ohno has been wearing keeps showing off his collar bones. Really pretty collar bones. Sho knows that Ohno’s shirt is just old and a little stretched from all the washing but he finds himself wondering how it would be like to touch those collarbones, and perhaps even – the thought makes him blush – lick them. He spends most of the day trying to will these thoughts away while pretending that he is actually concentrating on his work.

“Stop leering,” Nino tells him over lunch and refuses to accept any of Sho’s explanations. Jun, on the other hand, throws him a pair of raised eyebrows every time he catches Sho staring. Sho grumbles in his mind that the two of them should just go make out in the bathroom instead of being so bothered about him. The last straw for Sho that day comes when Aiba asks him – in the presence of Ohno – when he is finally going to sleep with him.

“Just pin him against the wall,” Jun adds as he comes out of the kitchen for some fresh air, “It worked for me.”

“We are not together!” Sho exclaims, shaking his head in frustration and embarrassment.

Ohno gives him a look that is unreadable and Sho doesn’t like the hint of disappointment that he is able to detect.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho spots Ohno pacing up and down – cutely – in the restaurant another afternoon like he is searching for something.

“Do you need help with anything?” Sho asks as he approaches Ohno’s figure, cursing inwardly at how his voice sounds a little insecure. He is not a teenage girl, damn it. And he needs to stop behaving like he has a crush on Ohno. Okay, maybe he does kind of like Ohno, but…

“I can’t find my paintbrushes,” Ohno tells him, a finger on his lips as he tries to think really hard about where he has put his beloved brushes. Sho removes Ohno’s finger from his lips - partially due to the fact that he doesn’t really need to be reminded of how full Ohno’s lips are because he has already been thinking about them in the darkness of the night, under the safety of his blankets.

“They’re with me!” Sho laughs, “You put them inside my backpack when we went out this morning, remember?’

“Ah,” Ohno looks up, recalling how Sho has offered to help Ohno carry some of his drawing equipment earlier that day.

“Let’s go get them so that we can head out, okay?” Sho looks down at Ohno so that their foreheads touch and Sho thinks that he can probably kiss Ohno’s nose if he were actually courageous enough.

He is not.

“Just get a room already,” Nino screams from the kitchen while Jun growls at Nino to stop procrastinating.

 

 

***

 

 

It turns out that one of their long time customers – a middle-aged couple - has chosen to celebrate their 31st wedding anniversary at the Soba House. When Nino realizes that (Sho wonders how Nino manages to find out about things despite being cooped up in the kitchen most of the time), he approaches the couple with his guitar and starts strumming it while singing them a song about how their love is prettier than the rainbow. Ohno walks over to join Nino the moment the music starts while Jun moves around the restaurant, snapping pictures of the happy occasion. Sho notes the proud look on Jun’s face as Nino starts singing and thinks bitterly to himself about how unfair it is that Jun thinks he has the right to judge him staring at Ohno.

Sho’s jaw dropped almost comically when Ohno begins singing the next verse of the song. Sho thinks that Nino is a good singer but Ohno is a different caliber altogether. The voice, coming out so effortlessly from him, is rich, low, emotional, and simply beautiful. It is as though Ohno is singing straight into Sho’s heart and Sho feels his knees grow slightly weak as he leans against the wall for support, taking in how Ohno’s voice changes with every single note. His fingers crave for his piano so that he can play in accompaniment to this angelic voice.

He thinks about how it will be an honour and privilege to be able to hear Ohno’s singing over and over again, and the logical part of his brain tries to tell him that this will be the beginning of an _addiction_. Sho realizes that he doesn’t really care, doesn’t really mind if he becomes addicted to Ohno Satoshi.

Sho curses to himself when he realizes that his mind has gone in the direction of thinking how Ohno sounds when he _moans_ or when he is being touched in the right places. He blinks and tries to look around, reminding himself that he is in a public place and having a hard-on right in the middle of work is inappropriate on top of being unprofessional. He turns his attention to the stairs while Ohno’s singing voice fills the restaurant and sees Aiba standing on the steps, swaying his body to the music. Their gazes meet and Aiba shoots him a knowing grin and a thumbs-up. Sho wants to throw something at him.

 _There is nothing between us,_ Sho mouths.

 _Yes, yes,_ Aiba mouths back, clearly unconvinced when Ohno ends the song with a long note that makes Sho turn around to see the long line of Ohno’s neck as he carries out the sound.

Sho gulps.

When the couple leaves the restaurant, happy, full, and with a portrait drawn by Ohno in their hands, Sho wonders if he can do something for their customers next time as well.

Maybe he can try performing a magic show.

 

 

***

 

 

The two of them proceed to head out of the house one morning when Sho finds himself staring at the jeans that Ohno is wearing; they really show off his legs. He doesn’t remember Ohno having any skinny jeans in his wardrobe and hates how he is being awfully distracted by this, even before work starts.

“Are these new?” Sho finally accumulates enough courage to ask after he gathers enough willpower to tear his gaze away from Ohno’s thighs.

Ohno looks at him, puzzled, and Sho points at his jeans.

“Oh, Matsujun gave them to me,” Ohno informs him.

Sho curses in his head and wishes that Nino will deny him sex the rest of the week.

At work, Sho gives the wrong change to 9 out of 10 people that day.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho is pretty sure that the Soba House employees are up to something when he finds himself locked in the storeroom with Ohno.

With the lights off.

Sho knocks desperately on the door while screaming and kicking a big fuss inside the storeroom, hoping that it will annoy his peers enough to let him out. They are at work and the idea of locking people (especially their boss!) inside a dark, stinky and hot storeroom is ridiculous by any count. Sho refuses to admit that he is also, frankly, quite afraid of the dark.

It is then that he feels the weight of Ohno’s head resting on his shoulder, clearly having fallen asleep while standing. Sho reaches out to pat the back of Ohno’s head gently, amazed at how he is capable of sleeping everywhere and in any position. _Unlike me,_ Sho thinks, _I take hours to fall asleep._

Sho stops himself from moving unnecessarily as Ohno appears to have shifted even closer to the taller man, in order to make himself more comfortable. He thinks that Ohno is possibly drooling on his shirt because he can feel moisture on his sleeve, but all he can do is to shake his head affectionately in the darkness. Trying not to move too much so as to not rouse Ohno from his slumber, he slowly guides them both against the wall and sits the two of them down without separating their bodies. If Ohno wants to sleep, Sho wants to make sure the surroundings are at least conducive enough for him to do so.

Arranging his legs so that he can sit for an extended period of time, Sho sighs as feels Ohno’s hands grabbing his clothes like a pillow while trying to move even closer - if that is even possible. Sho lets his jaw rest on top of Ohno’s head as his fingers reach out to stroke Ohno’s hair and revel in its softness. He feels himself calming down as the sound of Ohno’s breathing lulls him to a short nap.

 

 

***

 

 

“They have not confessed yet?” Sho hears Nino ask, frustrated, as he enters the kitchen, “They are basically married!”

“Who, what?” Sho asks as he tries to pinch some of Jun’s cooking.

“You and Ohno, obviously,” Nino says, rolling his eyes.

“There is no me and Ohno!’ Sho tells him.

“Just not yet,” Jun says, as he hits Sho’s hand with the back of the tongs he’s holding.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho does not really know what has transpired – things usually get a little out of hand when Aiba tries to take control of the situation. The five of them are playing truth or dare as part of Aiba’s “Company Bonding Activities” and Nino easily manages to get Ohno to choose dare (Sho has his suspicions about whether Ohno actually knows how the game is played) and Jun suggests conspiratorially for Ohno to dance to Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. If Jun’s tone is not indication enough, the evil glint in his eyes definitely sends warning bells ringing in Sho’s head.

Ohno nods to Jun’s request as he stands up and moves his body to the music that Aiba is playing from his cellphone. This is the first time Sho sees Ohno dance and he finds himself surprised – and if he were honest with himself, aroused – at the way Ohno’s body moves fluidly to the beat of the music. It seems impossible that the Ohno that ambles around the restaurant taking orders is the same Ohno that is right now moving effortlessly to the music. Sho finds himself ogling, wondering at the back of his mind how it would feel like if he could explore Ohno’s body with his hands when Ohno’s hips swirl.

And thrust.

And thrust again into the air.

Sho thinks he might have gasped out loud because he thinks that he can hear a commotion around him. Ohno, on the other hand, seems unaware of the way he is abusing Sho’s senses as he continues his routine, making it impossible for Sho to stop his arousal from twitching in action. Despite the fact that his face is probably flushing in arousal in a _public_ place, Sho can’t seem to stop staring at Ohno’s body. He gives up on looking away after a while, choosing instead to swallow deeply as he continues to watch the way Ohno moves his shoulders, hips, and ankles, forgetting periodically where he is and who he is with.

“Was it okay?” Ohno asked, panting slightly at the end of it all and Sho snaps back to reality to see beads of perspiration trailing down the other man’s face. He resists the urge to wipe it away and to touch him in inappropriate places while doing that.

“Okay, okay,” Sho quickly replies, brain thinking about the way Ohno’s body will fit against his, “More than okay.”

From the corner of his eye, he sees Nino hiding his laughter in Jun’s shoulder while Jun’s arm circles Nino’s waist, mirth clear on his face. On the other hand, while the music continues to blast from his handphone, Aiba’s typing frantically on it, probably sending a text to Becky if Sho were to judge him based on the grin on his face.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho stabs his bed in frustration that evening when he realizes that he has woken up feeling hard and with his mind filled with images of how it would feel for Ohno’s hips to roll against his.

 

 

***

 

 

“Sorry Oh-chan, I am borrowing Sakurai today,” Becky says as she meets the duo outside of the Soba House, dressed in a green Bohemian styled dress which is drifting slightly in the wind. Sho thinks he can hear some of Becky’s bangles jingle as she points at Sho to emphasize her point. Ohno nods while Sho’s features show how unhappy he is at being deprived of his watch-Ohno-draw time as Becky leads him back to the Soba House.

“Aiba has bribed me to tell you to go and confess to Ohno,” Becky says, finger (Sho can’t help but notice the brightly coloured nails) wagging accusingly at Sho.

“It’s not that easy…” Sho begins.

“Okay, so you know that you like Ohno,” Becky interrupts him even before he finishes forming his sentences, “That’s a start, but do continue.”

“You see, I don’t know whether he likes me or not,” Sho says, feeling like a girl and hating the feeling of it while Becky leans her cheek on her palm, distinctly displeased.

“He lets you stay in his house, lets you watch him draw every day, takes you with him when he’s fishing, and sleeps on your lap. Tell me which of these show that he doesn’t like you?”

“Em…” Sho bites his lips, trying hard to find a comeback. It is difficult because there really isn’t anything, except the fact that he is being a coward who won’t dare to confess how much he likes Ohno. He is kind of scared, despite the evidence, that Ohno doesn’t like him and that he will destroy the current relationship they have. He has always liked to play it safe.

“No objections?” Becky says after watching Sho struggle with his emotions for a while. She stands up and says as a form of farewell, “Good. I expect you to confess to Ohno within the week.”

“Wait, wha..?”

Sho is left with his own thoughts as Becky leaves the restaurant, complaining loudly to Aiba - who is waiting by the door - about how useless boys are.

 

 

***

 

 

They close the restaurant slightly earlier than most days because Aiba convinces the other four that he has found a new place to watch the town’s yearly fireworks, one that’s far from the crowd that will gather at the river side, and wants everyone – including Becky – to come along with him.

What Sho doesn’t understand is how he becomes the designated driver while Aiba, sitting at the passenger seat, directs him animatedly through the labyrinth of mountain roads as the daylight gradually fades away. From his limited vision through the rearview mirror, Sho can see Nino’s fingers jabbing at the DS while he lays his head on Jun’s shoulder. Jun, on the other hand, appears to be sharing a fashion magazine with Becky when Sho hears Becky make a loud noise.

“Oh my god,” Becky shrieks, utterly scandalized, “Matsumoto Jun and Ninomiya Kazunari, get _out_. Can’t you guys at least wait until we have reached the destination?”

Alarmed, Sho stops the car by the roadside and turns around to figure out what is happening as the two boys scamper out of the van quickly. Sho thinks that, in the dim light, he can see the arousal that is denting both their jeans and fully understands Becky’s outburst. He himself feels embarrassed on Jun and Nino’s behalf and really does not want to know what they have been doing right under everyone’s noses to end up like _that_. Becky and Aiba engage Sho in some light conversation while waiting for the other two to finish up their business when Becky suggests that she and Aiba should walk around the mountains together.

“But, there is nothing to see there!’ Aiba says, “Trust me, we are going to reach the really nice part of the mountains soon!”

“I just _want_ to get out and walk,” Becky insists, darting her eyes between Sho and Ohno – who has been sleeping throughout the whole ride - until Aiba makes a noise of understanding.

“Okay okay,” Aiba concedes, winking at Becky who winks back, “Sho-chan, please take care of Oh-chan, okay?”

Sho makes a noise of acknowledgement as the two of them get out of the car, leaving him alone with Ohno.

 

 

***

 

 

Sho winds down the windows and lets the night breeze enter the car after recalling newspaper reports of people suffocating to death by accident after falling asleep in cars with the car engine still running. He then twists his body in an awkward position so that he can watch Ohno’s sleeping face, wondering briefly if he will ever be bored of this face. He laughs at how hopeless he sounds when his muscles start to ache from the unnatural posture. Sho, realizing that neither of the two couples are going to return to the van anytime soon, decides to crawl his way to the back of the van – hitting his head loudly in the process and causing himself a significant amount of pain.

He sits opposite of Ohno as the moonlight illuminates his features; he is beginning to wake up due to the ruckus Sho has made while moving about. Sho notes how Ohno’s nose twitches slightly and valiantly fights the desire to pinch it.

“Where’s everyone else,” Ohno mutters sleepily, lips hardly moving and eyes barely open. He lifts his hands in Sho’s general direction and Sho grabs them, using them to pull himself closer, face landing on top of Ohno’s head by accident. Sho buries his nose in Ohno’s hair, inhaling the clean scent that is distinctly Ohno’s, as his hands wrap around the other man’s body. He takes in Ohno’s scent again and again as Ohno sighs contentedly at being held by Sho and curls his fingers into the ends of Sho’s hoodie.

“I like Sho-kun a lot,” Ohno mumbles into his clothes, voice still not entirely rid of the nap that he has taken, and Sho feels Ohno’s words vibrating on his chest more than he hears them.

“Me too, me too,” Sho says as he pulls away from Ohno’s inviting warmth to look at him straight in the eye, “I really like Ohno too.”

“Satoshi,” Ohno says, lips turning downwards into a pout, unhappy that Sho is still insisting on calling him by his family name.

“Sa-to-shi,” Sho lets his name roll off his tongue, “Satoshi. Satoshi.”

He repeats it again and again, like a mantra, and Ohno takes the chance provided by Sho’s newfound obsession with his given name to place his lips onto Sho’s. Sho gasps in shock and Ohno slides his tongue in opportunistically, seeking out Sho’s tongue in the process. Sho recovers quickly from the shock caused by the kiss and responds greedily, engaging Ohno’s tongue in return. While Ohno explores the hidden caverns of Sho’s mouth, Sho’s tongue enters Ohno’s mouth, briefly noticing how dry Ohno’s lips are (probably due to the fact that he has just woken up). He realizes that Ohno tastes better than anything he has dreamt of, a manly taste combined with a sweetness that Sho can’t tell if it’s from the dessert that they had earlier or part of Ohno’s inherent taste. He licks at the place behind Ohno’s teeth, feeling the pleased sound that Ohno makes on his tongue. It fuels Sho more as his tongue continues to seek out places in the other’s mouth that will draw out even more sounds while Ohno’s tongue glides around Sho’s mouth, trying to map it out.

While their mouths are engaged with each other, their hands slide under each other’s clothes, desperate to feel the texture of each other’s skins on their hands. Sho’s hand moves upwards, feeling the dips of Ohno’s spine with his fingertips, while Ohno’s knead at Sho’s skin where his torso meets his hip. They swallow the noises that they each make as Ohno, now fully awake, pulls apart from Sho to pull his hoodie over his head and throw it aside haphazardly. Sho helps Ohno out of his t-shirt and it joins the hoodie somewhere in the van. When they come together again, Sho chooses to attack Ohno’s neck, licking and sucking his way down the line until he reaches the place that links his neck and shoulder.

“Can I mark you?” Sho breathes into Ohno’s skin.

Ohno whispers his reply into Sho’s ear, “Please.”

Sho lets his teeth sink into Ohno’s skin and feels extremely pleased with himself as the other man’s gasp reaches his ears. He licks the red spot that he has made as Ohno steals small little bites around the loop of Sho’s ear and curls the strands of hair that fall over his ears with his fingers. When Ohno’s lips reach Sho’s jawline, he decides to pull Sho back up for another wet kiss. Sho gladly welcomes Ohno into his mouth this time, hands drawing patterns on Ohno’s back and feeling it flex against his fingers as Ohno moves.

When they part due to their need for air, Sho realizes how hard he has become and tries to avoid getting his arousal in contact with Ohno because the self conscious part of him finds it extremely embarrassing that he has gotten this hard within such a short period of time. Ohno, seemingly able to read his thoughts, takes the initiative to roll his hips against Sho’s, letting Sho feel Ohno’s hardness poke against him and reassuring him that he is not the only one who wants it that much. They continue grinding against each other, making little noises of pleasure as their arousals find the friction that they desire. At the same time, Ohno’s finger sneaks down Sho’s bare chest and flicks at his nipple, eliciting a long, beautiful moan from Sho.

“Sho-kun has a pretty voice,” Ohno mutters as he rolls his hips against Sho’s again. Sho’s hips respond primitively to Ohno’s every move and his voice gets louder with the increasing strength of the grind, wanting more with each movement. He is vaguely aware that the windows are open and his friends will return at any moment, but everything feels so good and he can’t stop himself. It doesn't help that Ohno seems to like hearing him, humming his approval as his actions get more desperate and his voice, more raspy. It is not long before Sho finds his jeans extremely restrictive and his hands wander to the waistband of the khaki pants that Ohno is wearing. Sho plays with it until Ohno’s hand somehow finds his and guides it to pull his own pants down, underwear following shortly after. Sho finds himself ogling at how Ohno’s erection is standing proudly and glistening under the moonlight coming through the windows. Sho would be lying if he said that he hasn’t thought about seeing Ohno naked before, but he is still shocked by the realness of it all, because Oh.. _Satoshi_ wants him, is hard because of _him_ , and Sho finds himself getting dizzy from the attention Ohno is paying to him and from the arousal that is threatening to burst through his jeans.

Ohno takes the opportunity to pin him down in the van and the vehicle jerks a little, making a metallic sound as Sho’s back hits the flooring. Sho thinks that he is supposed to feel some sort of pain due to the rough handling but he finds himself getting lost in Ohno’s lust-covered eyes instead. His perpetually sleepy eyes look the brightest that Sho has ever seen them (even brighter than when he talks about fishing) as he scrutinizes Sho’s body. His finger trails down Sho’s torso and Sho can see how much Ohno likes it, as his Adam’s apple moves every time he swallows. He finds himself turning away after a while because he feels so overwhelmed by the way Ohno keeps focusing every inch of his attention on him, touching his collarbones, chest and abs like they are the most precious things in the world. He finds himself losing the ability to breathe because he hasn’t known that Ohno has wanted him that much and now that he knows, he doesn’t know what to do with that knowledge.

“Want you,” Ohno says, voice guttural as he thumbs open Sho’s jeans and pulls his jeans and boxer shorts downwards. Sho lets out a relieved sigh as his arousal is finally freed from its confines.

“But we don’t have anything,” Sho whispers, still staring at the back of the front seats. Ohno leans in towards Sho, letting his hardness rest on Sho’s thighs as he turns Sho’s face towards him. Sho’s vocal cords respond immediately to the feeling of Ohno on his skin and Ohno kisses the sound away from his mouth.

“Just my fingers now,” Ohno tells him, brushing away Sho’s fringe that is sticking onto his forehead. “When we get home, I want to come inside of you as you squeeze me dry.”

Sho trembles because he has never, even in his wildest dreams, expected Ohno to speak this way, and it only turns him on even more, channeling all the blood south. Sho doesn’t think he can get any harder than this and he knows that he will need release soon. It seems that Ohno does realize this as well since he proceeds to part Sho’s legs with his own and Sho can take a hint, spreading his legs wide and bending his knees so that Ohno can fit nicely between them.

“Sho, suck,” Ohno commands as he brushes his fingers on Sho’s lips. Sho parts his lips, taking two of his fingers, and coats them generously with saliva, swirling his tongue around Ohno’s fingers which piston in his mouth, as a preview for what is to come. Ohno removes his fingers from his mouth when he decides that they are well moisturized and they both find themselves staring at how the liquid on Ohno’s fingers shines as it reflects the light from the window. Ohno’s dripping fingers then draw a line down Sho’s ass cleft and circle around Sho’s hole for a while before he inserts the first finger in.

Sho has imagined, dreamt about how Ohno’s fingers will feel like inside him, but none of those dreams were able to prepare him for this. Sho’s body tries to adjust to Ohno’s first finger as the other explores slowly, coaxing Sho’s muscles to relax. The initial discomfort that Sho feels quickly gives way to a desire for more, and Ohno adds the second finger when he feels that Sho is significantly ready. Sho moans at how Ohno’s two fingers scissor him open as they move further in.

“Satoshi, I can't…”

Ohno nods as he leans in, brows furrowed in concentration, fingers wriggling about inside of Sho, trying to find that one bundle of nerves that he knows will make Sho feel good. He knows that he has found it when Sho screams and covers his mouth immediately, embarrassed at how loud the sound was. Ohno smirks and Sho breathes out loudly into his palm at how hot Ohno looks. Whatever final strands of logic that Sho has get ripped apart when Ohno jabs at the spot properly, curling his knuckles as he does so. In the haze of pleasure, Sho pulls Ohno closer to him and grabs both their erections together, stroking both of them in time with Ohno’s finger thrusts.

Against Ohno’s grunts of pleasure mixed with his name, Sho finishes first, mouth open wide and moaning into the night. He squeezes Ohno’s arousal hard as he climaxes, hoping to bring Ohno over the edge with him. Ohno takes a little longer but the combination of Sho’s hands on him as well as the look of pure ecstasy on Sho’s face finally does bring Ohno to completion. He collapses next to Sho when it’s all over, chest heaving as he tries to get down from his high.

 

 

***

 

 

Their post climax bliss gets interrupted when a loud sound pierces through the air. Sho struggles up to see an explosion of colours in the sky through the window.

“Look! Fireworks!” He exclaims, shaking Ohno awake as a myriad of colours and designs pattern the night sky. Ohno rubs his eyes cutely as he finds his attention captured by a series of fireworks that look like flowers blooming in spring.

“Satoshi,” Sho whispers as he leans closer and intertwines their hands. The other man’s eyes are still on the fireworks, but he closes his grip and Sho follows his action, holding Ohno’s hands tightly.

Their lips curve upwards in smiles.

 

 

***

 

 

_Omake:_

“Pay up, pay up,”

Jun and Aiba reluctantly place the money into Nino’s welcoming hands as Aiba grumbles about how long the boys took to actually even confess.

“I told you they will do it in the car!” Nino beams as he counts the money he has received.

It is then that Becky strolls in, snatching all the money from Nino.

“ _I_ was the one who got them together after all your plans failed!”

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly:  
>  _To Anie:_ Thanks for being there and letting me thrash out ideas. Thanks for tolerating my lengthy emails and reading through multiple drafts. Thank you so much, Anie  <3  
>  _To Lee:_ Thank you so much for reading the draft of this and editing through it despite not really caring about them. Thanks for the reassurances that the fic is actually readable and just general handholding and telling me that I can do it  <3 Your help is very very appreciated.  
>  _To Isa:_ Thanks for betaing! I am so sorry that I had to make you rush through this. #failatobservingdeadlines. But Isa, you know you have my eternal love because you are the amazing-est. Happy late birthday, mummy  <3 Also, any mistakes you spot in the fic are all mine and not beta-san's because I had itchy hands and reedited after beta-ing.  
>  _To RJ:_ Thanks for general handholding and not screaming at me when I rant to IRL or on gtalk. How do you stand someone who whines all day long about a fandom you don't care about, I don't understand  <3 
> 
> Secondly: This fic is inspired by the episode of Mago Mago Arashi where Sho and Ohno helped out at a Soba Restaurant
> 
> Thirdly:  
> My first Yama fic <3 I am kind of proud of myself for completing this (I started really late on the real writing and basically forced myself to sit in the library for a week and TYPE TYPE TYPE). I have a lot of feelings about this fic. It's not a pairing I would usually write (I usually write the Kaze boys more) but their dynamics have always intrigued me and thus the fic. The two of them were so slow in getting together in the fic that I was screaming at them by 7k words and kicking invisible Sho and Ohno figurines. With this fic, I can also gladly say that I got over my I-don't-care-about-Ohno period :D :D. I had fun writing this and look, it's the longest thing I have written this year and for JE fandom. My first more than 10k fic. #smilesproudly


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